Travel survey reveals Brits are a nation of "home birds"

Brits are a nation of ‘home birds’, with a new survey commissioned by Sky Travel revealing that one in five of us have never been abroad.

The survey, conducted by 72 Point to coincide with the launch of Sky Travel Shop’s new UK holiday products (available on Skytravel.co.uk/uk), surprisingly showed that just over one in ten don’t even own a passport!

Despite increased prosperity in the UK, one third of those who have never been overseas claimed that they just couldn’t afford to travel abroad but a patriotic 24% said they preferred to holiday in the UK.

Thirteen per cent of those who have never been abroad also claimed to be aerophobics and another 13% said they just don’t want to go to foreign countries, according to the study by Sky Travel.

A sentimental 7% of the ‘home birds’ said they don’t want to leave their pets and an eco-friendly two per cent said they were concerned about the environmental effect of travel.

Of those who had never gone abroad, only 48 per cent said they definitely wanted to leave the UK at some point in the future.

And 41% said they would rather discover new places in their own country than explore places abroad.

The survey also found that Brits don’t even explore their own country – 62 per cent had never been to Ireland, 31 per cent had never visited Scotland and 20 per cent had never made it as far as Wales!

Barbara Gibbon, Head of Sky Travel commented:

“This survey has thrown up startling results and shown that we are a nation of home birds. It’s surprising to learn that one in five Britons have never been abroad especially since airfares are often cheaper than train tickets!”

Asked what country they would most like to visit, the most popular choices for Brits who had never been abroad were long-haul destinations led by America (17%), New Zealand (14%), Australia (13%), Canada (7%) and Japan (4%).

Adrian Mills, Sky Travel Shop presenter and expert added:

“This survey has certainly brought to light that Brits prefer to holiday in the UK, but it is great to see that 48 % of those that have never been overseas would like to travel abroad in the near future too. Personally, I have great childhood memories from family holidays at the Lake District so I’m not surprised that Brits give thumbs up to holidays in the UK”

The study also asked Brits where they like to holiday in the UK.

Cornwall was by far the favourite, with 26 per cent of the vote, followed by Scotland with 15%, Devon with 12%, the Lake District with 9% and Wales with 8%.

Teresa Timms at Visit Cornwall said:

“Cornwall remains a firm favourite as a holiday destination and continues to attract more than four million visitors a year. No doubt its success can be attributed to its wide appeal: for some it provides the perfect backdrop for a traditional seaside holiday, while for others its unique combination of first class restaurants and boutique hotels set in a stunning location means that it can compete with the best in Europe.”

No lace like home – our favourite UK destinations:

1. Cornwall
2. Scotland
3. Devon
4. Lake District
5. Wales
6. Dorset
7. North-East
8. London
9. Somerset
10. East Anglia

The survey also revealed that most people who holidayed in the UK stayed in hotels (29%) though 21% rented houses and 17% favoured the traditional B&B.

Sky Travel is also celebrating its new 6th series of Airline, scheduled to air on Sky Travel channel 253, weekdays from 9pm.